This summer, I traveled to Norway’s Arctic Circle, a remote part of the world where I encountered staggering scenery—and a fascinating cast of characters aboard the luxurious Atlas World Navigator….
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Recent Work
Starting to plot out your 2023 travel plans? Condé Nast Traveler has just released its annual list of places to go—and I wrote about why you should visit Kenya and Sharjah this…
On a recent weekend morning, I sat down with tech founder Layla Shaikley for her super cool podcast, Muslims Doing Things. We chatted about my career as a travel journalist...
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For a new column in Robb Report, I visited Indian designer Sabyasachi’s museum-like new West Village boutique, and chatted with him about his fondest travel memories. Read it here—and be sure…
For Condé Nast Traveler‘s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards, I wrote a little ode to one of my favorite hotels: The Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. Read it here.
I joined the formidable Dr. Nisha Abu Bakar, founder of World Women Tourism, on her Women We Watch in Tourism podcast. We spoke about a topic very close to my…
For my last event before leaving Dubai, I was invited by the Arts Club for a conversation about my career as a travel journalist. It was an engaging chat, covering…
The April/May Islands issue marks my final issue as Editor in Chief of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East — and I marked this milestone by reporting one of my favorite…
I closed out the latest issue of Condé Nast Traveller UK with a look at AlUla, Saudi Arabia—and in particular, the striking figure of the Maraya concert hall, rising from the…
Awards & Books
Awards
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2021: Honorable mention for the Grand Award, Travel Journalist of the Year
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2021: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Zanzibar in the Rain,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2020: Bronze in Short Work on Travel for “Raise the Roof,” Condé Nast Traveler
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2019: Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle Reporting about South Asia for “Force of Nature,” Surface magazine
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Gold award in US/Canada Travel for “A Muslim American’s Homecoming: Cowboys, Country Music, Chapatis,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Bronze in Service-Oriented Consumer Work for “My Town,” Virtuoso Life
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2017: Gold in Culinary-Related Travel for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2017: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- North American Travel Journalists Association Awards, 2016: Two Silver awards in Destination Travel and Adventure Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2016: Gold in Foreign Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2015: Gold in Personal Comment for “Returning to Hyderabad, Once a Land of Princes and Palaces,” New York Times
- Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing, 2013: Silver in Most Unforgettable Character for “Spitting Distance in Jodhpur,” Wall Street Journal
Books
- New York Times Cultured Traveler: Contributed a feature on Bosnia & Herzegovina to this upcoming anthology
- Best American Travel Writing 2021: “City of Saints” from Travel + Leisure was selected for the 2021 edition of this anthology, edited by Padma Lakshmi and Jason Wilson
- New York Times 36 Hours World: 150 Cities from Abu Dhabi to Zurich: Contributed 36 Hours guides to Johannesburg and Mumbai for this anthology
- My Life Abroad: A Selection of Expat Stories: Contributed to this compilation of expat stories from around the globe, recounting my experience as an American in South Africa, in the chapter “From New York City to Cape Town.”
- The Places We’ve Been: Field Reports from Travelers Under 35: Contributed my essay “When Coconuts Attack” to this travel anthology.